Department for Transport

Skipton-Colne Railway Line

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Sugg on 11 February (HL13163), what was the cost of the feasibility study into the creation of a new trans-Pennine freight railway line including the reinstatement of the Colne-Skipton line, that was announced by Chris Grayling on 3 February 2018; what is the estimated cost of the further work that is “still in progress” in order to “assess further the freight demand and commercial viability of the scheme”; and whether they will publish the terms of reference for this further work

baroness sugg: As part of the normal course of business, feasibility studies will be carried out into various potential rail upgrade projects. The total cost of the studies carried out by Network Rail and the Department’s consultants (Steer) to assess the feasibility, costs and benefits for reinstating the Skipton-Colne line for passengers and freight, a project championed by Andrew Stephenson MP, the Hon Member for Pendle, as part of a new Trans-Pennine rail route was £210,360. Further feasibility work to confirm whether this scheme can be made affordable, will attract sufficient traffic, and is part of the right long-term solution for trans-Pennine rail traffic will be commissioned by the Department for Transport working closely with Transport for the North. It will be funded from the Department’s existing resources. The scope and cost is yet to be determined.

Skipton-Colne Railway Line

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the further work on reinstating the Colne-Skipton rail link as part of a new freight railway route between Liverpool and Yorkshire, to assess the freight demand and commercial viability of the scheme, will be undertaken by and on behalf of the Department for Transport or Transport for the North; if so (1) who is carrying out the work and whether such work has started; (2) what is the target date for its completion; and (3) what the relationship is of this work to that being carried out by Transport for the North on cross-Pennine communications in the central trans-Pennine corridor.

baroness sugg: Further work to assess the freight demand and commercial viability of reinstating the Colne-Skipton link, a project championed by Andrew Stephenson MP, the Hon Member for Pendle, will be undertaken for the Department for Transport (DfT), who will work closely with Transport for the North (TfN). No decisions have been made yet on the scope and timescale of this work. TfN’s work on the Central Pennines Strategic Development Corridor is providing a strategic programme case for multimodal investment in this corridor. It has informed TfN’s recently published Investment Programme, which includes reinstatement of the Skipton-Colne link as a scheme. The planned DfT-led work therefore takes forward further assessment of this element of TfN’s Investment Programme.

Skipton-Colne Railway Line

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written answer by Baroness Suggon 11 February (HL13163), when it was decided that “the feasibility study into the value of reopening the Skipton to Colne railway” announced by the Secretary of State for Transport on 3 February 2018 was “only the first step in establishing the feasibility of the project”; what was the announcement made by Chris Grayling at Colne railway station on 29 January 2019, and whether and where they published that announcement.

baroness sugg: As part of the normal course of business, feasibility studies will be carried out into various potential rail upgrade projects. Following consideration of the conclusions from the initial feasibility studies that were completed in early December the Government decided that further work needed to be undertaken to assess the commercial viability of the scheme and the freight demand before any commitment to progress the scheme, a project championed by Andrew Stephenson MP, the Hon Member for Pendle, to the next ‘develop’ stage of the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline. The Secretary of State for Transport initially communicated this decision on 25 January at a meeting in Colne with the Member of Parliament for Pendle and town, Borough and County councillors, and through an interview with the Lancashire Evening Telegraph.

Railways: North of England

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what options they are considering for the future provision of rail freight across the Pennines including (1) from, and to, the port of Liverpool to, and from, destinations in Yorkshire and beyond and (2) power station fuel and container traffic to continental gauge standards; and what alternatives they are considering to the proposed new freight link via a reinstated Colne-Skipton line.

baroness sugg: We are considering a range of options, as is standard practice, for how best to enhance the current capability and capacity for cross Pennine bulk and intermodal W10/W12 gauge rail freight between a range of origins and destinations, including a new link via Colne-Skipton and upgrades to other existing routes.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Energy: Meters

baroness byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Henley on 4 January (HL12419), whether a builder must ensure the fitting of smart meters in new build homes; if not, who is responsible; and whether such fittings are installed under the aegis of a particular energy supplier.

lord henley: All meter points in new build homes must have a registered energy supplier. The builder can appoint a supplier of their choice but it is the supplier who has responsibility for the installation of meters in a property.A number of energy suppliers are already installing smart gas and electricity meters in new build properties. The Government recently consulted on a proposal to activate the New and Replacement Obligation (NRO) in energy suppliers’ licences. The NRO would require suppliers to take all reasonable steps to install a compliant smart meter where a meter is fitted for the first time including in new build properties. We expect to make a decision to activate the NRO in due course.

Electricity: Meters

baroness byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Henley on 22 November 2018 (HL11417), whether SMETS compliant electricity meters are capable of producing a statement of solar panel units used as a percentage of total usage.

lord henley: In order to produce a statement of solar panel electricity units used in a premises as a percentage of total usage, a premises would require multiple meters: a meter to record the amount of electricity generated by on-site renewables; and at least one meter to record the amount of electricity exported from the premises to the grid and the amount of electricity imported from the grid to the premises.Most traditional meters are not able to measure the amount of electricity being exported so it would be necessary to have at least three separate meters to produce the required statement.In contrast, all SMETS compliant electricity meters are capable of recording any electricity that is exported to the grid from on-site renewable generation sources, such as solar panels, net of the electricity from on-site renewables which is used within the premises. By combining two SMETS compliant meters in one premises – one operating as a generation meter for the on-site renewables and one to measure the import and export of electricity to and from the grid – it would be possible to produce the required statement. In each case, the smart meters would also be capable of recording generation and consumption on a half-hourly basis and the data would be available remotely.

Electricity: Prices

baroness byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the rate charged at night for a unit of electricity has increased compared to that charged for a day unit; and if so, why.

lord henley: The rate charged for and the difference between day and night units is a commercial decision for individual companies to make as long as suppliers set their rates within the limits of the price caps.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Cameroon: Politics and Government

lord boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Cameroon about the summonses used against Cameroonian opposition members on charges carrying the death penalty before a military tribunal in that country.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK is deeply concerned about the arrest and detention of political actors in Cameroon, including members of the Opposition party, on charges which attract the death penalty. On 13 February the Minister for Africa raised the UK's concerns publicly. She underlined that trials, including of Opposition leader Maurice Kamto, must follow due process and that freedom of speech and political expression are integral to a democratic society. It is a longstanding policy of the British Government to oppose the death penalty, in all circumstances, as a matter of principle. The UK is a strong supporter of the UN General Assembly Resolution for the moratorium on the use of the death penalty.

Leah Sharibu

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Nigeria about the continued imprisonment of Leah Sharibu, following the anniversary of her captivity; and what response they received.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The UK repeatedly calls for the release of all those abducted by Boko Haram and IS-West Africa including Leah Sharibu. We continue to use our public messaging and extensive engagement with the Government of Nigeria to secure their urgent release. The Government of Nigeria have assured us that they are making all efforts to secure her return.

Pakistan: Human Rights

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Pakistan on the importance of preventing the provincial government of Sindh from establishing operational control of the Sindh Human Rights Commission; and what assessment they have made of whether this would compromise its independence.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Promoting human rights is a fundamental part of the British Government’s work, including in Pakistan. We continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to take the steps necessary to comply in full with its human rights obligations. This includes ensuring that the human rights institutional structures and processes necessary to discharge its international commitments are in place in line with international standards. We maintain a regular dialogue with the National Commission for Human Rights of Pakistan about their concerns. I discussed these concerns with the Chairman of the National Commission during my visit to Pakistan on 18 and 19 February. I also raised human rights issues with the Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari during the same visit.

China: Prosperity Fund

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any of theCross-Government Prosperity Fund has been used to develop of the film industry and improve museum infrastructure in China.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: In 2016-17, the first year of operation of the cross-government Prosperity Fund, the British Government ran skills and capacity building projects in areas of UK expertise in China, including in the creative and cultural industries. These are areas of large market potential and supported China’s continued transition to a sustainable, inclusive and productive economy. They were part of first year transition project, which involved several relatively small, scoping work activities to identify interventions for multi-year programmes in the following years.Our programming has moved on to larger, multi-year programme interventions and we are now concentrating in China on Rule of Law for Business, Financial Services, Energy and Low Carbon, Infrastructure, Skills, Healthcare and Future Cities. As a result, the UK no longer supports any funding to the creative or cultural industries in China through the Prosperity Fund.

China: Dead Bodies

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have caused inquiries to be made about the export of plastinated human bodies (1) globally, and (2) to the UK, by Dalian Hoffen Bio-Technique Co, based in China.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government is aware of the technique to plastinate human bodies exported from China for exhibition and for medical research. We have not made inquiries with the Chinese government on this matter but continue to monitor media coverage.

Ministry of Defence

Military Aircraft

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 20 February (HL13769), whatdiscussions there have been between the UK Tempest team and theFuture Combat Air System programme.

earl howe: Team Tempest is a UK national project and is a subset of the UK's Future Combat Air System Technology Initiative (FCAS TI), a 10-year technology development and demonstration programme. The term Future Combat Air System could refer to a number of international Air projects or systems being developed, including the UK programme to replace Typhoon's capabilities from 2040 onwards. This programme is called the Combat Air Acquisition Programme (CAAP). The RAF team who deliver FCAS TI work closely with the CAAP team, based in Head Office, informing the CAAP Concept Phase.

Defence: Procurement

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 20 February (HL13628), whether the UK is expected to become a net defence importer in the next five years.

earl howe: Further to my earlier response, the Ministry of Defence has not specifically undertaken this type of analysis. According to official data from the UK Defence and Security Organisation in 2017 the UK won defence orders worth £9 billion and, on a 10-year rolling basis, remains the second largest global defence exporter.

Defence: Expenditure

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 25 February (HL13624), whether that money previously announced by the Secretary of State for Defence to be spent on the nuclear deterrent and anti-submarine warfare has been spent in other areas.

earl howe: The £1 billion for Defence announced in the 2018 Autumn Budget ensures that the Armed Forces can continue to modernise and invest in key priority capabilities. Funding has been allocated to modernising our critical assets, including anti-submarine warfare and our nuclear deterrent.

Home Office

Asylum: Housing

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many contracts they hold with G4S to provide government-supported accommodation for asylum seekers and refugees.

baroness williams of trafford: G4S are currently contracted to provide asylum seeker accommodation and transport to service users accommodated in the North East, Yorkshire & Humberside and the Midlands. This contract will end in September 2019.

Asylum: Housing

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether there is overcrowding in government-supported accommodation for asylum seekers and refugees.

baroness williams of trafford: To ensure overcrowding does not happen accommodation providers must comply with national and local housing regulations including those regarding room sharing. The accommodation contracts set out who may share a room, which includes allowing room sharing for couples, unrelated adults of the same sex and related children depending on their genders and ages.Providers are contractually required to take account of any particular circumstances and vulnerability of those that they accommodate and an assessment is made on a case-by-case basis depending on the specific needs of the individual. All of our properties are inspected by the providers on a monthly basis, in addition to regular inspections carried out by Home Office officials. Where there are licensing requirements, local authorities also conduct inspections. The statement of requirements showing the requirements for accommodation sizes and room sharing can be found at https://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive/contract/503107/

Treasury

Stamp Duty Land Tax: Tax Yields

lord macpherson of earl's court: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have evaluated the impact on revenues of the stamp duty reforms announced in the 2014 Autumn Statement.

lord bates: At Autumn Statement 2014 the government published costings of the reforms to Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) which highlighted the anticipated revenue implications of the reform across the forecast period. HMRC also publish quarterly and annual statistics on SDLT revenue and transactions. Residential SDLT receipts were just under £1.8bn higher in 2017-18 than they were in 2014-15, the last financial year before the Autumn Statement 2014 reforms.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Lotteries: Regulation

lord mancroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will announce their plans for the reform of regulation surrounding societylotteries, including any increase in prize limits, following the consultation which closed on 7 September 2018.

lord ashton of hyde: There were over 1,600 responses to the consultation. We are carefully considering the evidence and hope to respond to the consultation in the first half of this year.